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Gustav Mahler in 1907
Moritz Nähr
Since 1907 the symphonies of Gustav Mahler have been a key component of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s repertoire, with notable performances — in Chicago, at the Ravinia Festival, in Carnegie Hall, and on tour throughout Asia and Europe — as well as on numerous award-winning recordings.
From 2014 through 2016, tenth music director Riccardo Muti led Mahler’s First Symphony in Orchestra Hall; on tour in Michigan and Missouri; in Beijing, Seoul, Shanghai, Taipei and Tokyo; and shown here in Millennium Park’s Jay Pritzker Pavilion on September 18, 2015.
© Todd Rosenberg Photography. Courtesy of riccardomutimusic.com
For London Records in May 1980, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus (prepared by Margaret Hillis) recorded Mahler’s Second Symphony in Medinah Temple under the baton of eighth music director Sir Georg Solti. The subsequent release won Grammy awards for Best Classical Album and Best Classical Orchestral Recording.
London (1980)
In his first concerts as the Orchestra’s principal conductor, Bernard Haitink led the Third Symphony in October 2006, featuring Michelle DeYoung, the Chicago Symphony Chorus (prepared by Duain Wolfe) and the Chicago Children’s Choir (prepared by Josephine Lee). Recorded live, the symphony served as the inaugural release on the CSO Resound label.
CSO Resound (2006)
The Fourth was the first of the composer’s symphonies to be recorded by the CSO, with sixth music director Fritz Reiner conducting and Lisa Della Casa as soloist in December 1958 for RCA.
RCA (1958)
When the CSO performed the Fifth Symphony in Carnegie Hall on January 9, 1970, Georg Solti — in his first season as eighth music director — was called back to the stage for twelve curtain calls. His well-marked score is housed in the Rosenthal Archives.
As principal conductor, Bernard Haitink recorded the Sixth Symphony in October 2007 for CSO Resound and performed it in Orchestra Hall and at the Ravinia Festival, as well as on tour in Europe (Amsterdam, London and Lucerne) in 2008 and Asia (Beijing, Shanghai and Tokyo) in 2009, including this concert in Hong Kong on February 7.
© Todd Rosenberg Photography
After hearing the Seventh Symphony at the first Mahler Festival in Amsterdam in May 1920, second music director Frederick Stock obtained a copy of the score in Paris and led the CSO in the U.S. premiere on April 15, 1921.
In April 1917 at the Auditorium Theatre, second music director Frederick Stock led the Chicago Symphony, eight vocal soloists and a chorus of over 800 in the Orchestra’s first performances of the Eighth Symphony, nicknamed the "Symphony of a Thousand."
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra has recorded Mahler’s Ninth Symphony on three occasions — under Carlo Maria Giulini in April 1976, Sir Georg Solti in May 1982 and Pierre Boulez in December 1995 — and each release was awarded the Grammy Award for Best Orchestral Performance.
